Syrian Report Says That Rebels Are Responsible For Chemical Attack

Even as Syria pledges to work with Russia, and consequently the U.S., to solve the question about what to do with their chemical weapons arsenal, Syria’s government is still trying to prove that the August attack that killed more than 1,000 wasn’t their fault.

According to Russian officials, Syria has turned over materials to their Russian ally that prove rebels were behind the Aug. 21 attacks that included the use of sarin gas.

Earlier this week a United Nations investigation concluded that sarin gas was in fact used, but did not place the blame on either side of Syria’s ongoing civil war. According to Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov, Syrian officials said that the evidence, “bears witness to the rebels participating in the chemical attack". Russian officials have not yet come to any conclusions based on the new information but said that they, “are inclined to treat with great seriousness the material from the Syrian side about the involvement of the rebels in the chemical attack of Aug. 21."

No matter what the verdict, some believe that Syrian President Bashar al Assad will still be in power for years to come. "He will stay on for years. I don't see any force toppling him tomorrow morning - though he deserves to pass from this world, and the quicker that happens, the better," said Israeli Major-General Yair Golan on Wednesday.

The General’s statements echo earlier sentiments expressed by Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu who said on Tuesday, Israel “always wanted Bashar Assad to go” in hopes that it would weaken the Syrian alliance with Hezbollah fighters in Lebanon and Iran.

Israel has been a quiet supporter of a U.S. strike on Syria, one of their many foes in the Middle East.